Notre Dame's Lady Irish go to state

Notre Dame's Lady Irish go to state

The Notre Dame girls' tennis players knew they were on a collision course with the state tournament after an early-season victory over Chattanooga Christian -- their biggest hurdle in recent history.

The Lady Irish had to go through all the necessary steps, but now they can start packing their bags.

Notre Dame won 4-0 over Boyd-Buchanan on Thursday at the Champions Club and will be making its first trip to the state tournament since the team format began. The Lady Irish did go to the state tournament in the 1980s when there was an individual point system to determine the champion.

They will face the winner of another sectional between Hume-Fogg and Page at 10 a.m. Tuesday at Old Fort Tennis Courts in Murfreesboro.

"I thought that this year we just wanted it more," Notre Dame senior Callie Voges said. "We practiced hard and really trained for the Chattanooga Christian match. We've been wanting to get there but CCS always stopped us, so we're very excited."

Voges said she and her teammates felt this was their season after the March 27 victory over the Lady Chargers.

"We knew we had a chance because it was the only match that we'd lose every year," she said. "This is a close team and we support each other, so we're excited about this opportunity."

The Lady Irish (12-0) got singles victories from Katie and Sarah Joyce, Danika Dorris and Allyson Ross, who claimed the clinching win at No. 5. Boyd-Buchanan's Allie Keasler had claimed the first set over Voges, but their match was stopped in the second set when the team outcomes was decided.

"This is an upbeat group of girls, and I couldn't be happier for them," Notre Dame coach Anne Ricksecker said. "I'm proud they were able to get this win today."